Ice out.

[cooperhawk]

A week ago we were buried in snow and the high was a balmy 41.
Today it hit 81 degrees, most of the snow is gone and the ice is going out on the lake.
Now I can start repairing the Winter's damage to the yard and driveway.

What a difference a week can make.

[Sir Henry]

A week ago we were buried in snow and the high was a balmy 41.
Today it hit 81 degrees, most of the snow is gone and the ice is going out on the lake.
Now I can start repairing the Winter's damage to the yard and driveway.

What a difference a week can make.

I expect the same back home in Ogema although that is only my mailing address. I actually like in the Township of Hill.

[cooperhawk]

We're on the north slope of a ridge so the sun doesn't hit us directly. That said we
have a lot of snow in the woods yet and in sheltered places a lot of deep snow banks.
Come the weekend it's supposed to cool down and rain and I suspect that will be the
end of the snow for this year. (At least I hope so).

[GeoBoy]

No snow, green grass and heading to 80 degrees this weekend.

[Hatchdog]

Right on Coop, snow out is a wonderful day for us in the north. I have a few berms from snow sliding off the metal roofs but the rest is gone. Good riddance!

[clovishound]

Reminds me of the "Spring Break" episode of Nothern Exposure.

[cooperhawk]

Reminds me of the "Spring Break" episode of Nothern Exposure.

I used to love that show.

[cooperhawk]

So I went down to the lake this afternoon just to see what things looked like. The last few years
we have been going through a drought and the lake level has been very low. Our lake is spring fed
for the most part and when the aquifer is low, so is the lake level. Anyway.........

The lake has been very green. Nope, not polluted although a lot of folks would like to believe that,
but there is no source for pollution. The lake sits in a bowl and the only runoff it gets is from the
banks because once you get up the bank all the water runs away from the lake, so what runoff it gets
is just from the heavy timber surrounding it. It was green because of all the bottom feeding fish that
stirred up sediment which the algae feeds on.

Well, we had a freeze out. Now that's a good thing because it killed the bottom feeders out. Now a
freeze out doesn't mean it froze all the way down, it means the snow was so deep this Winter that
light could not get through the snow and ice, and the plants on the lake bottom died. Once they died'
and they were no longer making oxygen to keep the fish alive, they suffocated.

The good news is that fish migrate up from the Cannon River to spawn and the Cannon River is full
of good fish. The lake will renew and with better fish.

[cooperhawk]

Last evening it was in the 80s and we had the door open to the deck overlooking the lake. It was
amazing to hear all the migratory birds raising a ruckus as they settled in for the night. this morning
I looked out and a flock of snow white pelicans have shown up and are scattered around the lake
feeding.
A week ago remember, we had two foot of snow and a high of 41. The ice just went out two days ago.

[Mags]

My oldest son lives in Idaho, they had an 80' day follwed by overnight snow.

[Hatchdog]

So I went down to the lake this afternoon just to see what things looked like. The last few years
we have been going through a drought and the lake level has been very low. Our lake is spring fed
for the most part and when the aquifer is low, so is the lake level. Anyway.........

The lake has been very green. Nope, not polluted although a lot of folks would like to believe that,
but there is no source for pollution. The lake sits in a bowl and the only runoff it gets is from the
banks because once you get up the bank all the water runs away from the lake, so what runoff it gets
is just from the heavy timber surrounding it. It was green because of all the bottom feeding fish that
stirred up sediment which the algae feeds on.

Well, we had a freeze out. Now that's a good thing because it killed the bottom feeders out. Now a
freeze out doesn't mean it froze all the way down, it means the snow was so deep this Winter that
light could not get through the snow and ice, and the plants on the lake bottom died. Once they died'
and they were no longer making oxygen to keep the fish alive, they suffocated.

The good news is that fish migrate up from the Cannon River to spawn and the Cannon River is full
of good fish. The lake will renew and with better fish.

Pretty incredible how Nature takes care of itself when we humans leave it alone.

[clovishound]

Life will take whatever opportunity presents itself. When one species moves/dies out something else will move in and take advantage of untapped resources. Heck, there is life in some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Look at some of the underwater vents that are extremely hot, and extremely toxic. Even in these places there are organisms that manage to thrive.